IPSWICH's three park-and-ride services have a suffered a 9% reduction in travellers between April and the end of October, forcing council tax payers to increase the subsidy on the loss-making routes.

Graham Dines

IPSWICH's three park-and-ride services have a suffered a 9% reduction in travellers between April and the end of October, forcing council tax payers to increase the subsidy on the loss-making routes.

Guy McGregor, the portfolio holder for transport, has authorised a cut in fares to encourage more people to use the services from Martlesham, Bury Road and Copdock.

“The decline has caused us some worries,” said Mr McGregor. “We think the main reason is not down to the economic difficulties but because there is a perception that car parking in Ipswich is so cheap that motorists would rather drive into the town than park on the perimeter and use the bus for the rest of their journey.”

Mr McGregor said: “When the contract for the three services changed from Ipswich Buses to First Group on November, the county council took the opportunity to introduce a reduction in the cost of using the service.

“We hope to encourage more people to use the service and recoup the lost fares revenue.”

The council taxpayers' subsidy for the first six months of the financial year rose to £316,601, covering 580,499 passenger journeys.

The subsidy for the Copdock service, which had 216,720 single passenger journeys, was £91,366. The number using Bury Road was 191,126 with a subsidy of £44,271 and from Martlesham it was 172,643 with the service subsidised by £180,964.